Space shuttle Discovery's final delivery (STS-133 Official Flight Kit)

March 9, 2011

— Space shuttle Discovery is set to return from space today carrying its last "home delivery" of cargo from the International Space Station (ISS).

Having launched and added to the orbital complex its final load of space-bound payloads — including the last module for the U.S. side of the station, the Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module — Discovery is making its 39th and final return to the ground with a mostly empty payload bay and a well-packed crew cabin.

The world's most flown spacecraft, Discovery has over the course of its total of 365 days in space delivered some of NASA's more notable payloads in its 26 years of service. The oldest of the United States' space shuttles still flying, Discovery deployed the Hubble Telescope, the solar probe Ulysses, and the station's largest laboratory, Japan's Kibo pressurized module.

Discovery has launched and returned from orbit Spacelab and Spacehab modules, multi-purpose logistic modules for the International Space Station, and the first two satellites ever brought back from orbit to be serviced.

On this, it's final mission before being retired and placed in a museum, Discovery's Earth-bound cargo includes 2,599 pounds of equipment and experiment results coming home from the space station.

Returning in Discovery's cargo bay is a lightweight adapter plate that was used to support experiments on the outside of the European Columbus laboratory. It was retrieved and stowed aboard the shuttle during the second spacewalk of this STS-133 mission.

Also in the bay, packaged inside a modified tool storage container, are some 30,000 cloth patches commemorating the 30-year shuttle program. The emblems, which were put aboard before Discovery launched, will be distributed after the mission to NASA and contractor employees who made this flight and the program possible.

The patches are not the only souvenirs aboard Discovery.

As on all of Discovery's missions, not to mention the other orbiters, the shuttle is carrying an Official Flight Kit (OFK). Packed inside the duffle bag-size kit are mission patches, lapel pins, medallions, flags, banners and other mementos for organizations that have supported Discovery's six crew members and the mission.

A complete inventory of the STS-133 OFK, as obtained by collectSPACE, is provided below.

The astronauts are also allowed to bring smaller pouches, called Personal Preference Kits (PPKs), with souvenirs for family members and friends. As their name implies, these kits' contents are personal and not disclosed.

Outside of their OFK and PPK items, the astronauts also have a few additional mementos, which they either brought with them or picked up at the space station. Among them:

Flat ~~Stanley~~ Timothy
: Tim Kopra, who was injured in a bike accident resulting in his being replaced on Discovery's STS-133 crew by Steve Bowen, called his former crew mates early in the mission and told them he was with them "in spirit." In response, they told him he was there "in a little bit more." Although not yet confirmed, photos taken aboard Discovery appear to reveal what they meant. Flying with them is a small cardboard cutout of Kopra dressed in his orange pressure suit.
Tracking tag
: Mission specialist Michael Barratt is a "geocacher," participating in global — and in this case off-globe — GPS-enabled treasure hunts. One such "treasure," or Travel Bug, was left on the ISS by an earlier visitor. As reported by Latitude 47, the official blog of Geocaching.com, Barratt is bringing the well-traveled tracking tag back to Earth after its two years on-orbit.
Flying brick(s)
: The shuttle is sometimes referred to as a "flying brick," because it returns from space as a very heavy glider. On board Discovery are two mini-"flying bricks," made out of toy bricks. To kick off a partnership with LEGO, NASA flew two space shuttles built from 60 of the snap-together bricks.
Up hill
: Connected to the Isle of Man through her husband who serves as its "government's honorary representative to the space community," astronaut Nicole Stott packed a monogrammed cloth for the island's Manx Museum in the OFK. She also has a piece of Tynwald Hill, the ceremonial home of the Isle of Man's parliament, which is composed of soil from each of the isle's 17 parishes representing the entire island.

Space shuttle Discovery is returning from space for the last time with a mostly empty payload bay and well-packed cabin. (NASA)

The STS-133 Official Flight Kit Manifest

The following is the STS-133 Official Flight Kit manifest, as provided by NASA. Inventory numbers that are missing indicate items that were removed prior to launch.

No.	Description	Sponsor/Purpose

1.	625 STS-133 crew patches 75 Expedition 26 patches	Agency Presentation
2.	800 Small United States Flags	Agency Presentation
3.	5 Sets U.S. States & Territories Flags	Agency Presentation
4.	5 Sets United Nations Members Flags	Agency Presentation
5.	50 Small Texas Flags 20 Small Flags of Russia 2 Small NASA Flags 25 NASA Patches 1 Large (3") JSC Medallion 6 Small (2") JSC Medallions 3 NASA Seal Medallions (2 Bronze, 1 Silver) 1 Silver Shuttle Pendant 1 Gold Shuttle Pendant 3'x5' Flag of Guam	Agency Presentation
6.	10 Small (4"x6") State Flags: California Nebraska Georgia Florida Texas District of Columbia New York Washington	Agency Presentation
7.	5 Small (4"x6") Flags: New Zealand Finland Canada United Kingdom Vatican	Agency Presentation
8.	Small (4"x6") Military Flags: 30 U.S. Air Force 20 U.S. Army 20 U.S. Coast Guard 20 U.S. Marine Corps 20 U.S. Navy	Agency Presentation
9.	60 NASA Medallions	Agency Presentation

10.	10 Small United States Flags 10 Small Alabama State Flags	Marshall Space Flight Center Presentation
11.	10 Small Louisiana State Flags 10 Small Mississippi State Flags 5 Small NASA Flags 5 Small United States Flags	Stennis Space Center Presentation
12.	5 Small United States Flags 5 Small Florida State Flags	Kennedy Space Center Presentation
13.	200 Silver Snoopy Pins	Space Flight Awareness Presentation

14.	25 EVA Patches	Agency Presentation
15.	10 STS-133 Crew Patches 34 Small (4"x6") U.S. flags 10 Space Development & Test Wing Coins 10 DoD Space Test Program Patches 10 Human Spaceflight Support Office Patches 10 Human Spaceflight Support Office Medallions 5 USS Hopper (DDG-70) Unit Coins 1 20th Space Control Squadron Unit Patch 1 20th Space Control Squadron Unit Scarf	DoD Presentation
16.	25 COD Patches	Center Operations Directorate Presentation

17.	25 Mission Operations Patches	Mission Operation Directorate Presentation

18.	100 Small Metal Shuttle Tokens	Agency Presentation

19.	Miniature Computer Disc	Agency Presentation

20.	6" CKCC Patch	Agency Presentation

21.	EMS Patch	Agency Presentation

22.	9"x9" Detroit Rotary Club Banner	Agency Presentation

Items 23 through 70 are manifested at the request of the STS-133 crewmembers.

23.	Green and Gold Athletic Letter	Temple City High School, Temple City, CA

24.	Green and White Checked Squadron Patch	38th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Zweibrucken AB, Germany

25.	20"x29" White and Blue Pennant	Space Camp, Turkey, Ismir, Turkey

26.	Associate of Graduates Medallion	U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright Patterson, OH

27.	5"x8" Blue Logo on Black Fabric	Amy Blake's Academy of Dance, Houston, TX

28.	3'x5' White Flag with City Seal	City of Temple City, CA

29.	Round Red and Navy Lapel Pin	First United Methodist Church, Temple City, CA

30.	White Lapel Pin	Dean L. Shively School, South El Monte, CA

31.	Red and Navy Lapel Pin	New Temple School, South El Monte, CA

32.	4'x6' Orange and Gold Banner	Redeemer Episcopal Church, Houston, TX

33.	Gold Naval Test Wing Command Medallion	Naval Test Wing Atlantic, Patuxent River, MD

34.	Silver Commemorative Medallion	The Spaatz Association, Washington, DC

35.	Navy "Cougar" Lapel Pin	Henderson Middle School, Atlanta, GA

36.	Silver, Red and Blue Test Pilot School Medallion	U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, Edwards AFB, CA

37.	3-3/4" White and Green Plastic Coaster	Fernbank Science Center, Atlanta, GA

38.	Squadron Patch	Sandy Springs Cadet Squadron, Atlanta, GA

39.	6"x14" Navy and White Pennant	U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO

40.	9"x11" Poster	Seabrook Intermediate School, Seabrook, TX

41.	Gold Medallion	School of Contemporary Science, University of Abertay Dundee, Scotland

42.	22"x22" Red and White Bandana	National Association of Women MBAs, University of Houston Chapter, Houston, TX

43.	Gray T-shirt With Logo	Lomax Junior High School, La Porte, TX

44.	Blue Hawaiian Print Shirt	JSC Education Office, Houston, TX

45.	Gold Lapel Pin	Tech Trans International, Houston, TX

46.	Navy T-Shirt with Logo	League City Volunteer Fire Department Station 2, League City, TX

47.	3'x5' United States Flag	Science Application International Corporation, Houston, TX

48.	Multicolored Medallion	Astronaut Candidate Class of 2009, Houston, TX

49.	Bronze International Space Station Medallion	ISS Program Integration & Control, Houston, TX

50.	Bronze International Space Station Medallion	ARES Corporation, Houston, TX

51.	Oval "Operation Enduring Freedom" Medallion	7th Squadron 17th Air Calvary, Fort Knox, KY

52.	Screaming Eagles Medallion	101st Aviation Brigade, Fort Campbell, KY

53.	6"x6" Pink Marble Tile	MD Anderson Center, Houston, TX

54.	3" Bronze University Medallion	University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX

55.	2-3/4" Shakespeare Plastic Figurine	Shakespeare at University of Texas English Department, Austin, TX

56.	Gold Flight Surgeon Wings	JSC Medical Operations Branch, Houston, TX

57.	7.5"x11" Stuffed Giraffe Mascot	University of Texas Hermann Children's Hospital, Houston, TX

58.	11"x14" School Banner	Camas High School, Camas, WA

59.	Multicolored Baseball Cap	American Board of Preventive Medicine, Chicago, IL

60.	U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Lab Patch	Fort Rucker Aeromedical Lab, Fort Rucker, AL

61.	8.5"x11" Poster	Plumb Elementary, Clearwater, FL

62.	Red & Gray Athletic Letter	Clearwater High School, Clearwater, FL

63.	Multicolored Men's Tie	Millfield, Somerset, England

64.	Gold and Red Chinese Ceremonial Jacket	Sheng-Yen Lu Foundation, Houston, TX

65.	3'x5' White Cloth with Emblem	Manx Museum, Isle of Man, UK

66.	Silver, Navy and White Medallion	Jacobs Engineering, Houston, TX

67.	Gold Astronaut Pin	Agency Presentation

68.	Silver U.S. Air Force Wings	Agency Presentation

69.	Gold Medical Wings	Agency Presentation

70.	Gold Astronaut Pin	Agency Presentation

Items 71 and 97 are manifested at the request of the STS-133 payload customers.

71.	500 Small (4"x6") Discovery Flags	Kennedy Space Center Presentation

72.	400 Bookmarks	Space Shuttle Program (SSP) Presentation

73.	100 STS-133 Crew Patches	SSP Presentation

74.	30 Space-X DragonEye Patches	SSP Presentation

75.	8.5"x11" Photograph	SSP Presentation

76.	100 ULF5 Mission Pins	International Space Station (ISS) Presentation

77.	26 Collier Medallions	ISS Presentation

78.	36 ELC Patches	ISS Presentation

79.	2 Remmele Placards	ISS Presentation

80.	6 each 5"x5" Brass Placards	ISS Presentation

81.	50 HRP - UMS Patches	ISS Presentation

82.	30 HRP - MARES Decals	ISS Presentation

83.	100 Robonaut Patches	ISS Presentation

84.	50 United States Flags	ISS Presentation

85.	96 ISS HAM Decals	ISS Presentation

86.	100 SCAN Testbed Decals	ISS Presentation

87.	15 MSG Glovebox Patches	ISS Presentation

88.	20 HRP Integrated Immune Patches	ISS Presentation

89.	30 Apex-Cambium Decals	ISS Presentation

90.	20 Apex-Cambium Photographs	ISS Presentation

91.	20 Bioserve Flags	ISS Presentation

92.	50 POIC Decals	ISS Presentation

93.	30 SCF-MI2 Decals	ISS Presentation

94.	10 SCF-MI2 Patches	ISS Presentation

95.	100 LM Pins	ISS Presentation

96.	100 PMM Patches	ISS Presentation

97.	PMM Banner	ISS Presentation

98.	25 JSC S&MA Patches	JSC Presentation

Late Addition

1.	Charm with artifact in gold shadow box frame	Mary Queen Catholic Church, Friendswood, TX

2.	Red and white company brochure (8 1/2"x14")	Sweet Spot Audio and More, Webster, TX

3.	Space Shuttle Program "30 Year" commemorative patch	JSC International Travel Office, Houston, TX